Canadiens hire Luke Richardson as an assistant coach

Team Canada head coach Luke Richardson gestures during the game against Dinamo at the 90th Spengler Cup hockey tournament in Davos, Switzerland, on Dec. 26, 2016. Melanie Duchene / The Associated Press

The Canadiens filled out their coaching staff for next season on Monday morning with the announcement that Luke Richardson has been hired to coach the defence.

Richardson played 1,417 games in the NHL after being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round (seventh overall) at the 1987 NHL Draft. He played for the Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators, posting 35-166-201 totals along with 2,055 penalty minutes.

The 49-year-old was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders last season and was with Hockey Canada during the 2016-17 season, winning the Spengler Cup as Team Canada’s head coach reaching the final at the Deutschland Cup as an assistant coach. Richardson was an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators for three seasons starting in 2009-10 and then spent four seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators before joining Hockey Canada.

“We’re very pleased with the hiring of Luke Richardson as an assistant coach,” Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said in a news release sent out by the team. “Luke has tremendous experience, both as a player in the NHL and as a coach. He also had the opportunity to work internationally with Hockey Canada, which gives him excellent credibility among young players. We’re very happy that he has joined the Canadiens organization.”

Added Canadiens head coach Claude Julien: “I’m delighted with the addition of Luke Richardson to our coaching staff. Luke is a very credible hockey person and a very knowledgeable coach. We undertook a process to select a coach with specific criteria in mind, and after taking the time to meet with several candidates, we’re very happy that Luke accepted to join our group. He has already been told that his role on our staff will be to work with our defensemen.”

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